f you’re not already a Dark Cloud fan, you’ve probably never heard of Level-5, the franchise’s developer. Dark Cloud 2 is only its second product, but it certainly won’t be its last. How’s this for a future: Enix has enlisted the services of Level-5 to help with its newest chapter in the Dragon Warrior series – the godfather of RPGs. The developer, however, is already making waves in the genre here and now. Dark Cloud 2 is the complete package for RPG enthusiasts. The exhilarating heights of the story are equaled by great gameplay depth.

Fans of the series will immediately be heartened by the fact that, in many ways, the game is far less drab than its predecessor. Whether it’s the splash of vibrance caused by the cel shading or dungeons that are more exciting to fight through, combat simply isn’t a chore like it once was. Although the lock-on targeting often does more harm than good, I was always eager to see what the next battle would bring. A big part of this is that you don’t have to be as paranoid about breaking weapons and keeping hydrated as before. Also, the story seamlessly integrates all the game’s elements into one grand, rolling adventure.

Another big reason I loved the battles was the customizing afterward. Although it’s actually simpler than the first Dark Cloud, the expanded weapon attributes and branching upgrades brought back giddy memories of Vagrant Story. I was kind of hoping Dark Cloud 2 would offer a party system where your allies could fight with you simultaneously, but it’s still a lot of fun to switch between characters and build up the experience of hero Max, heroine-from-the-future Monica, and Ride Pod Steve. To top it all off, I was always on the lookout for invention ideas and objects – many of which would be used as Georama items. No matter where you look, the game moves from strength to strength.

Dark Cloud 2’s Georama feature was a pleasure before, but now its more open-ended approach (instead of simply finding objects for a location) rewards your creativity with Culture points. I wouldn’t say it’s SimCity, but I love being challenged to provide the best surroundings for my peeps. Also different from the first DC is the fact that you have to build each item out of the raw materials that you get in battle. You’ll then move characters from your hometown into these new abodes. These friends can be chosen to join your adventures and give you certain combat bonuses.

It’s not a lot to ask of a sequel that it simply be better than the original. Dark Cloud 2 does this, but it does so in a way other than just adding more stuff. The series is refined and improved, and it has grown into an RPG that should be considered among the very best on the console.  

ANDREW REINER   9.25 Retooled with great precision and polished to a blinding sheen, Dark Cloud 2 soars above its predecessor and emerges as a role-playing masterpiece. Rather than reinventing the wheel, developer Level-5 stuck with the original formula and simply fixed all of the problems that plagued the first adventure. You’ll no longer need to keep a constant eye on your meters, as your character rarely goes thirsty and the weapon strength doesn’t deplete nearly as fast. Due to the random generation of dungeons, the environments remain blocky, but exploration is less tedious because the combat is quicker in pace and more complex in its design. Level-5 also reworked the Georama world-building aspect so that the player has more freedom as to what he or she can do with the land. Although it can be considered a dungeon crawler, Dark Cloud 2 has enough variety within its content that it breaks the mold and stands as a truly original role-playing experience.